William and Mary aide David Corley Jr. lands job with Connecticut

Tribe's former star QB leaves after six years on Laycock's staff

February 28, 2014|By Dave Fairbank, dfairbank@dailypress.com

William and Mary's unusually stable football staff absorbed a second blow when veteran assistant and former Tribe star quarterback David Corley Jr. resigned to take an assistant's job at Connecticut, according to sources.

Corley, who spent six seasons on W&M's staff after a record-breaking playing career, reportedly will coach running backs at UConn.

"I hate to lose him," Tribe head coach Jimmye Laycock said, "but when you have good people and you have a successful program, people are going to get opportunities. That's just the nature of the business."

Corley's departure comes shortly after Tribe defensive coordinator Scott Boone left for the same position at the University of Nevada.

Corley was the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator last season after spending the previous five seasons coaching first running backs and then quarterbacks. He worked with All-American running back and W&M record-holder Jonathan Grimes, who is currently in the NFL. Corley moved to wide receivers when Kevin Rogers came on board as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

"He worked at it," Laycock said. "He really wanted to learn football. He wasn't interested in just transferring his natural ability to somebody else. He worked at becoming a good coach and a good teacher, whether it was film study, whether it was dealing with me, whether it was techniques. He was a very good coach and a good recruiter."

Corley is the fourth assistant coach from Virginia to join new head coach Bob Diaco's staff at UConn. Former Virginia assistants Anthony Poindexter and Vince Brown are on the staff, as is ex-Richmond assistant Wayne Lineburg, who also has ties to William and Mary and Virginia.

Corley played for W&M from 1999-2002 and was a four-year starter who holds career records in passing yards (9,805), total yards (10,948) and touchdown passes (73). He quarterbacked the Tribe's 2001 Atlantic 10 champ and NCAA playoff team.

Corley later played in the Canadian Football League and the Arena Football League before returning to W&M as an assistant coach in 2008.

"He always had great affection for William and Mary," Laycock said. "He wasn't looking for other jobs or where he might go next. He put all his energy into William and Mary and whatever he could do here. He's been very loyal to the program and the school. I wish him all the best."